Neem Repellent - Myths and Facts

Can I use neem oil as a personal insect repellent? Is neem repellent toxic?

"Can I use neem oil as an insect repellent?" someone asked on a gardening forum. I stumbled across the thread the other day.

The answer chosen as the best answer was:
"No! Neem oil is an insectiCIDE. It kills insects. You wouldn't want to put chemicals like that on your skin!"

Utter nonsense, of course!

So, before I tell you more about neem repellent, let's debunk the nonsense.

Neem oil is not a chemical, it is a natural oil, pressed from the seeds of the neem tree.

Neem oil does get used like an insecticide and it does protect your
garden from insects, but not by indiscriminately killing things on
contact like most synthetic and even some natural insecticides do.

It takes more than a few lines to explain how neem controls harmful
insects and I already wrote about it elsewhere. So if you don't know how
neem oil works you may want to read this first:

As you now know, one of the ways neem oil protects your plants is by making them unpalatable to insects. Yes, neem oil is an insect repellent!

Now what about putting it on your skin? As it so happens, I also have
a whole section on this website that talks about how beneficial neem
oil is for your skin. Neem is one of the best natural skin care
ingredients I know of.

Again, I won't go into more detail on this page, but you can read more here:

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This website does not sell any products. DiscoverNeem.com is intended for informational purposes only. Neither the information nor the products mentioned on DiscoverNeem.com are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. None of the information presented on this website is to be taken as medical advice. Always consult a qualified physician or health care provider for diagnosis and treatment of any condition.

Neem should not be taken by anyone who is pregnant or trying to conceive. Neem contains compounds similar to those in aspirin and must never be used to treat children with fevers. It should not be taken by people with known allergies to aspirin and aspirin like substances. Neem oil should not be taken internally.